London shops hit by Tube strike

Central London shops and businesses hoping to receive a much-needed boost from Black Friday sales were hit by disruption to the tube network as drivers held their biggest strike since 2018.

The 24-hour strike, which started at 0430 GMT, led to the suspension of the Piccadilly, and Waterloo and City lines, and delays on the Jubilee, Central, Victoria and Northern lines.

Shops in central London said the strike could hurt sales on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

“The timing of the strike is particularly disappointing and is a real kick in the teeth for Central London’s hospitality and retail sector,” said Ros Morgan, chief executive Heart of London Business Alliance, which represents 500 businesses in London’s West End.

Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company, which represents over 600 businesses across the West End and Mayfair, commented: “It is extremely frustrating to see the Transport for London network disrupted at the most crucial moment for central London businesses.

“Just as trade and footfall is picking up, and hard-hit businesses are seeing a Christmas boost, this will be a blow, not only to customers, but to the 150,000 colleagues in the West End who heavily rely on public transport to get to work, particularly on two of the busiest days of the year.”

Transport for London (TfL) said it was running 58 per cent of its usual services.

The walkout of 2,000 Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members came after disagreements over TfL’s plans to make tube drivers take on shifts at night.

The strikes targeted the five lines where TfL used to employ dedicated Night Tube drivers, with the Waterloo and City line also suspended as it shares many of its drivers with the Central line.

The Friday and Saturday Night Tube service was suspended during the pandemic. It was due to restart with a limited service on Saturday.

TfL said there were no plans to hold talks with RMT leaders. “We remain open to talking but there’s no concrete plans so far,” a spokesperson said.